Clearview National May 2017 - Issue 186 - Page 12

PROUD SPONSOR OF INDUSTRY NEWS
INDUSTRYNEWS
tncinfo@sidey.co.uk
£1 million investment
» » ANDREW SCOTT,
Managing Director of Purplex
Marketing, explains his recent
move to create a world-class
marketing powerhouse.
Most business leaders recognise
that investment is essential
for growth, profitability, and
competitiveness. Whether it’s
investment in people, equipment,
facilities, R&D or marketing,
there is a direct correlation
between business success and
investment levels.
The same rule applies whether
you’re a manufacturer, distributor
or retailer, and it applies equally if
you run a service business, such as
a marketing agency.
Yet, bizarrely, most PR and
marketing agencies in the UK
are starved of investment, which
inevitably impacts the results they
can deliver. It’s not surprising;
after all, 90% of agencies are
lifestyle businesses, with a small
team of 5 or 10 staff typically led
by an ex-marketing manager of a
large corporate.
A WORLD-CLASS
AGENCY
Purplex was never established as
a lifestyle business. Right from the
get-go the aim was to build a world-
class marketing agency. Investment
was always a key part of our strategy
and operationally we applied the
same principles to our own business
that we used with clients, and as a
result, we have averaged 35% year-
on-year growth since 2004, even
through a recession.
Ongoing training plays a key
part in our success. In 2016
alone we invested over £40,000
in training to ensure our team
remain world-class. The results
speak for themselves; in January,
we generated a record 10,000 sales
leads for our clients.
While most agencies use
freelancers or third parties, we
invested in people, recruiting,
training and developing experts in
each marketing discipline. Today
we have 58 employees, with more
clients than any other agency in the
industry.
This gives us economies of
scale, advanced specialist skills
that other agencies simply don’t
have and real clout. For example,
as a Google Partner spending over
£1m a year on AdWords we have
direct access to the senior team at
Google’s London HQ.
MARKETING AGENCIES
ARE STRUGGLING
In early 2016 we conducted
research to assess what companies
really looked for in an agency
and compared this with the top
25 agencies in the construction/
glazing industry. At the same
time, we reviewed marketing
trends and the impact of new
channels, technologies, and
consumer behaviour.
We concluded that most
marketing agencies are already
struggling to cope with current
demands and would get left
behind in the future unless they
scaled up and really invested. As
a result, we made the decision to
invest over £1 million.
We focused on three key areas;
infrastructure, resources and
expertise. A superb new HQ was
purchased a few months ago,
giving us 10,000 sq ft of office
space. We also invested in state-
of-the-art facilities, from film
production to the most advanced
marketing software platforms. A
high-profile recruitment drive was
launched to attract world-class
talent across PR, design, web,
video and social media, with a
target of 100 employees by next
year.
WINNING A FORMULA
ONE RACE
Appointing a small agency or
several different agencies may
seem like a good idea, but it’s a
false economy. You can’t win a
Formula One race with a family
car.
Choosing a new agency is a big
decision. Having a great ‘pitch’
from the agency directors might
impress you, but look beyond the
pitch. Visit the agency and meet
their staff. Look at their resources
and investment strategy. The
truth is, you can judge how good
a marketing agency is by the level
of their own growth.
At Purplex our aim is simple;
to work with the most ambitious
companies in the glass and glazing
industry and help them grow
faster and stronger. It doesn’t
matter if it’s a small installer
needing a new website or a major
building products supplier that
wants to secure several routes to
market.
www.purplexmarketing.com
12 » M AY 2017 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M